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Nov 5, 2018 at 12:12 pm ET

Retirees Break for Democrats on Campaign Contributions

By Julie Bykowicz

ADD RETIREES TO THE LIST OF DEMOCRATIC-LEANING DONORS. Donors who identify their occupation as “retired” gave 52% of the $326 million they contributed through Oct. 17 to Democrats, compared with 48% to Republicans, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. That is a reversal of their split four years ago—and it’s a record amount of midterm money from retirees.

This is the first midterms since the group began keeping donor industry data in 1990 in which retirees favor Democrats over Republicans. That year, retirees gave 76% of their $15 million in contributions to Republicans and 24% to Democrats.

As social security and Medicare have become hot-button political issues, retiree donors have steadily crept toward Democrats, the center’s data show. By 2002, the GOP advantage among retiree donors had declined to 63% versus 36%. Eight years later, the split was 55%-44%.

On State Ballots: Voting Rights, Health Care, Carbon Tax

Andrew DuehrenReporter

Voters in many states will decide on a host of ballot initiatives this Election Day. Here’s a look at some of the most consequential:

Criminal Justice

Almost a dozen states will vote on measures that will change criminal penalties and how they are prosecuted. Floridians could restore voting rights to more than 1.4 million people with felony records, while Louisiana may begin to require juries to reach a unanimous verdict before convicting a defendant of a felony.

A slate of states will vote on a “Marsy’s Law,” which gives criminal victims a larger role in prosecutorial processes. Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, and Oklahoma could all enact legislation to give victims more sway.

Voters in Michigan and North Dakota could completely decriminalize marijuana, making it available for legal recreational use. Missouri and Utah could legalize marijuana for medical purposes. The Ohio ballot features an item to reduce drug possession charges to a misdemeanor.

Health Care

Idaho, Nebraska, Montana and Utah each have ballot measures to expand access to Medicaid to low-income adults, in addition to pregnant women, children, seniors and low-income families.

Energy and the Environment

Residents of several states will decide whether to curtail the energy industry in their states. In Colorado, a ballot measure would require oil and gas drilling to take place more than 2,500 feet away from occupied buildings, a major increase from current codes. Florida residents will vote on banning offshore drilling in the state, though that question is also mixed in with a measure to ban vaping indoors. Washington could become the first state in the nation to tax carbon emissions if voters pass a referendum there.

Ballots in California will feature a question about repealing an increase in a tax on gasoline in a bid to help drive Republicans to the polls. Missourians vote on whether to increase their gasoline tax.

Voters in both Arizona and Nevada, two of the sunniest states in the nation, could require the 50% of all electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030.

Maryland and Michigan are considering initiatives that would allow residents to register to vote on election day. Nevadans will decide whether to make voter registration automatic, requiring people to opt-out of registration rather than opt-in.

Arkansas and North Carolina have ballot measures that would require people to show a photo identification card before voting.

Nov 5, 2018 at 10:50 am ET

Florida Polling Shows Slight Edge for Democrats

By Andrew Duehren

FLORIDA DEMOCRATS woke up to some encouraging news Monday morning: a pair of statewide polls show the Democratic gubernatorial and Senate candidates with slim leads, and registered Democrats surpassed registered Republicans in the early vote total.

A Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters shows Mr. Nelson leading Mr. Scott 51% to 44% and has Mr. Gillum up 50% to Mr. DeSantis’s 43%. Quinnipiac conducted the poll between Oct. 29 and Nov. 4, and it has a plus or minus 3.5 percentage point margin of error.

The number of registered Democrats who have voted early is now greater than the number of registered Republicans who have voted early in the state, according to publicly available data compiled by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald. Roughly 25,000 more Democrats than Republicans have voted so far, though people don’t necessarily vote according to their party registration.

Nov 4, 2018 at 8:47 pm ET

Rihanna, Axl Rose Object to Trump Campaign's Use of Their Music at Campaign Rallies

By Rebecca Ballhaus

RIHANNA BECAME THE LATEST MUSICIAN TO PUBLICLY OBJECT to President Trump using her songs at his campaign rallies. Responding to a tweet from Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker noting that the singer's "Don't Stop the Music" was playing at a rally in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Sunday evening, Rihanna tweeted: "Not for much longer...me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies, so thanks for the heads up philip!"

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Also Sunday, Axl Rose, frontman of Guns 'N' Roses, tweeted that the band had asked that its music not be used at Trump rallies or Trump-related events, and criticized the Trump campaign for using loopholes in venues’ performance licenses to use music without artists’ consent.

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A spokesman for the Trump campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Other musicians who have requested the campaign not use their songs or have publicly objected to their use include Elton John, Adele and the Rolling Stones.

Politicians holding large rallies typically face few restrictions on what music they can play because they often receive licenses to play music through the venue where their events are held. Musicians have some legal options for forcing candidates to stop using their music, but historically making a public statement has been enough to prompt a campaign from using a particular song to avoid further controversy.

Not so for Mr. Trump: "Tiny Dancer" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" continue to be staples at his rallies.

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Campaign Wire: A Guide to the 2018 Midterm Elections

Last Updated: Nov 5, 2018 at 5:05 pm ET

The latest from the campaign trail ahead of Election Day, with control of Congress and governors' mansions at stake.